INSIDER

Why Chilean Actress Lorenza Izzo Keeps a Microwave in Her Bathroom

Inviting yourself into someone’s home unannounced is inconsiderate. Inviting yourself into someone’s bathroom is just plain rude (not to mention slightly stalker-ish). And yet, we did just that to actress Lorenza Izzo—who was more than welcoming during our first-ever Byrdie drop-in, filmed for Facebook Live.

“Let’s go to the bathroom because that’s where most of my morning magic happens!” she beckoned to us with a smile, green eyes glittering. During the next 20 minutes, we got to see a part of the Feed the Beast star’s life previously reserved only for her closest friends and family (like her husband, Eli Roth, who dropped in during our, well, drop-in). Born and raised in Chile, the actress was full of beauty secrets from her homeland—not least of which includes a very clever reason for keeping a microwave (!!) in her bathroom. Here are five important beauty lessons we learned from Izzo during our drop-in.

Lift Your Lashes

“I’m obsessed with curling my eyelashes because I have what I call ‘cow lashes’ because they go straight down! I use my trusted, trusted Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler (£20). I am obsessed with separating my lashes. I use a Sephora separator [Lift Off Lash Comb, £8]. It’s also calming; it’s like popping a pimple.”

Protect Your Skin

“I’ve learned lately that you have to really take care of your skin. We’re getting to the point where it really matters! I wear sunblock every day; I love La Roche Posay [Anthelios 60 Ultra Light Sunscreen Fluid, £13].”

Use Rose Water

“I love rose water. I was born and raised in Chile, and I have a very beautiful, awesome grandmother that taught me all about beauty and keeping it simple, and she was all about the rose water! This is my biggest secret. I use this all the time. When I’m on set and I’m really tired, I call this acting juice—I’ll spray it on and I’ll feel alive. I use it as toner; I use it in the morning—it’s the first thing I do. I use it on planes, on top of makeup, over makeup.”

Wash Your Face (With Alkaline Water)

“I don’t tend to clean my face too much, because it tends to dry me out. So I only clean my face at night. This is where it gets interesting—my dear husband taught me this secret. This is alkaline water … and that pH on your skin completely balances it out. We call this beauty water! Every night I cleanse my skin with Osmosis Cleanser. I take off the cleanser with the [alkaline] water and humidify it. I tell myself I’m prettier inside and out after using that water.”

Microwave Your Cramps Away

“Here’s another fun Chilean secret: I have a microwave in [my bathroom]—don’t judge! So I got this little guy in Chile, and whenever I get my period, I just pop this thing out. It’s got a bunch of seeds in it, and I put it in the microwave for two minutes. I get awful cramps, and I put it on my [stomach], and my cramps calm down. What are they called in America? Water bottles? Water bags? Heating pads? In Chile they’re called guatero. The microwave was here when we moved in. I only use it for this—don’t think I heat up soup up here! That’s not happening. I guess it should—if I’m on my period, might as well heat up some soup.”